December 23, 1500, Age of the Sea Circle
Orion joined the banquet with Whitebeard and the rest of the crew, participating animatedly. Being in the company of these pirates, who stood at the very top of the food chain, sharing rum without a care in the world, was without doubt a novel and enriching experience for him.
It was in moments like these that the pirate's life truly revealed its brightest side: the freedom of living at sea, moving with no fixed destination, doing whatever the heart dictated at every moment.
Even so, Orion believed he was not suited for that kind of life, for although such freedom was indeed intoxicating, it could easily bore someone who did not have the right mindset.
Orion was focused on his ambitious goals, putting his entire being into training and planning to achieve them. That was the lifestyle he most enjoyed, even if it wasn't as unrestrained as that of these pirates.
Perhaps one could say that Orion was pursuing another kind of freedom, one far more ambitious. Rather than simply ignoring the current status quo and acting as he pleased, Orion sought to directly change the system that held power in this world. That was his version of true freedom.
In a sense, the way Orion experienced his time with Whitebeard and his reputation was the same as a city man spending a holiday in the countryside. In such a case, of course one enjoys the change of rhythm and scenery, but that doesn't mean one wishes to live there forever. The beauty lies in the fact that it is not permanent, and that is precisely why it can be enjoyed differently.
The banquet went on for several hours, lasting until the early morning of the next day. During that time, Orion interacted with the pirate crew and, of course, with the Named Characters present there.
He also activated his Prism Eyes to analyze these pirates, and to his great surprise discovered that all of them fell within a gray area of morality, indicating that their actions were neither strictly "good" nor "evil." It was strange that such a powerful crew, holding such elevated status in this world, appeared neutral, for surely they must have committed all manner of crimes over the years.
However, Orion concluded that this phenomenon was likely due to the influence of their captain, Whitebeard. After all, his master Roger had spoken to him about Whitebeard and his deeds as a pirate throughout the years, and indeed, he fit into the category of "benevolent pirates."
Even so, something did catch Orion by surprise. Besides Whitebeard, there was another Named Character (VIP) in the crew, but he was not one of the division commanders, only a regular member of the second division. This was the man called Marshall D. Teach.
When Orion had used his Prism Eyes to evaluate him, he found that, unlike his companions, there was something strange about this individual. His morality registered as gray, like the others, but in addition he bore two tiny points—one black and one red—that swelled and shrank as though they were living entities.
It was the first time since acquiring this ability that Orion had ever seen such a phenomenon. Moreover, he could perceive a chaos within Teach's mind that unsettled him deeply. Something told him this man was dangerous, and that he should not draw too close to him, even if Teach's smiling face as he ate cherry pies seemed to show no hint of danger at all.
But what finally convinced Orion of Teach's irregularity were the sudden notifications from the system.
*Ding*
*An unusual source of energy has been detected nearby*
*Analyzing source of energy*
*Analysis complete*
*The source of energy is bound to Named Character (VIP) Marshall D. Teach. It can be extracted if the Named Character is eliminated first*
After receiving those notifications and reading their content, Orion cut off all contact with Teach, keeping himself as far away as possible from him for the rest of the banquet.
Naturally, Orion had no intention whatsoever of eliminating Teach, for that would have been suicide. Even if by some miracle he could defeat him in combat—which was unlikely—he would incur the wrath of Whitebeard and the rest of the crew if he suddenly attacked one of their own.
As for the source of energy that Teach possessed, Orion was, of course, greatly intrigued and wanted more information about it. Yet even so, he made no effort to get closer to the mysterious pirate who sat there innocently eating cherry tarts, for his instincts told him to stay away.
Once the banquet ended, the pirates collapsed into slumber wherever they could, sprawled in disarray, while Whitebeard merely gazed at the horizon with a smile and a pensive look in his eyes.
Orion knew his opportunity to speak with the legendary pirate had come, and so he approached him at once, still drinking from a tankard of beer. He had gained the skill "Alcohol Resistance" after his encounter with Vasco Shot years earlier, which allowed him to drink a dangerously large quantity of alcohol without suffering much effect.
His skill "Alcohol Resistance" was already at level 4 and was quite powerful, so Orion couldn't help but wonder what would happen if he raised it a little further. Would he become completely immune to the effects of alcohol? If that were the case, Orion wasn't sure he actually wanted to keep leveling it up, since there were times when it was good to be able to get drunk.
Whitebeard saw Orion approaching him and said with a smile,
"Hey, brat, I see you're still standing. You can handle your liquor better than your master, gurarararara."
Then, before Orion could reply, Whitebeard fixed him with a piercing look and went on,
"By the way, you must be around twenty years old, right? When exactly were you Roger's apprentice? I don't remember ever seeing you on his ship. The only ones I recall are the red-haired kid and the one with the clown nose."
Though Whitebeard's words carried no hostility, Orion nevertheless felt a heavy pressure. The aura the legendary pirate exuded unconsciously was not something easy to ignore.
"Ah, I wasn't part of his crew. I met my master after he had already disbanded his pirate band," Orion replied sincerely, then added,
"Besides… my actual age is ten years. Though I'll turn eleven in a month and a half!"
Whitebeard looked at him in puzzlement, wondering what in the world Orion was talking about, suspecting perhaps the boy was drunk after all—but in the very next instant, Orion's body began to shrink until it returned to its natural state.
He undid the adult transformation he had been maintaining almost constantly, showing his true appearance for the first time to the astonished Whitebeard.
"My master rescued me when I was about to be captured by the Marines after certain events, and then he trained me for half a year before going off to turn himself in for his execution," Orion said sincerely, looking Whitebeard straight in the eyes.
"Heh, so that's how it was, huh? Sounds like something Roger would do. He was always sticking his nose in other people's business."
A small smile spread across Whitebeard's face, the kind so common to him. Until that moment, he had remained on guard against Orion, even if only slightly. Not because he feared what Orion might do, but simply because he could not fully accept him while knowing so little about him.
However, after hearing Orion's straightforward words once again and seeing him in his natural state, Whitebeard completely accepted his status as "Roger's apprentice," setting aside any lingering suspicions he may have had.
"So then, what is it you have to say, boy? I can see you've got something you want to talk about," Whitebeard said, looking at Orion seriously.
Orion hesitated for a moment, but finally he took Toki out of his Pocket Dimension, showing her current state to Whitebeard.
"That's… Toki?!" the pirate exclaimed in shock, and the sea, which had been calm, suddenly stirred, startling Orion and reminding him once again that people at this level could influence nature itself as easily as breathing.
"Brat, you'd better give me an explanation," Whitebeard said, visibly agitated after seeing Orion produce the unconscious Toki.
Orion didn't dare waste time, eager to prevent the pirate from growing more agitated and risking some kind of accident.
"It all happened a few months ago in Wano…"
Orion told Whitebeard everything he had experienced during his journey to Wano: the death of Oden, the tyranny of Orochi and Kaido, and Toki's comatose state. He also described the current condition of the country, and finally asked for his help in driving Kaido out of Wano.
Yet Whitebeard did not respond as Orion had hoped, declaring that he would take charge of defeating Kaido to free the land of his former comrade Oden. Instead, the legendary pirate fell silent, his expression grave as he sank into deep thought for several minutes.
Orion did not interrupt Whitebeard's reflections. He simply placed Toki back into the Pocket Dimension and continued drinking his beer alongside the pensive Whitebeard.
A long while passed before Whitebeard finally emerged from his reverie. With a weary sigh, the legendary pirate looked at Orion and said,
"I'm afraid I cannot help you with Wano for the time being."
Orion had already sensed that this would be Whitebeard's answer, so he was not overly surprised to hear him say it. Still, he felt a strong curiosity as to the reason behind his choice. After all, with Whitebeard's personality, it was nearly impossible to imagine him simply turning a blind eye to the plight of his former Nakama's country.
For that reason, Orion decided not to hold back his curiosity and asked him directly,
"May I know the reason why you don't want to take part in the battle against Kaido?" Orion asked, taking another sip of his beer. In his natural form—that of a ten-year-old boy—he looked rather comical drinking from a wooden tankard that was nearly half the size of his body.
"It's not that I don't want to help, but right now I simply cannot," Whitebeard replied, refusing to elaborate further on his reasons, though it was clear he felt a great conflict within himself.
"However… In the future, if you attack Wano to purge Kaido, perhaps I could help you in some way," Whitebeard added gravely.
Orion and Whitebeard locked eyes in silence for a moment, as if they were communicating without words, and finally Orion gave a slight nod. With a faint smile, he said,
"Very well, if that day comes, I'll shamelessly come asking for your help without hesitation!"
"Ha! You wouldn't be Roger's disciple if you weren't at least that shameless! Gurararara!" Whitebeard finally roared with laughter, breaking the heavy atmosphere that had lingered until then.
On the other hand, Orion had no intention of prying further into Whitebeard's reasons, as it was no longer necessary. It was clear that the legendary pirate wished to do something about Kaido but simply could not, bound by some greater force.
Orion did not want to meddle in another man's private affairs, and he was more than satisfied to have at least secured Whitebeard's promise of help in his fight against Kaido when the time came.
After all, Orion disliked relying on anyone else, so he had never expected Whitebeard to do the dirty work for him. Orion had promised Yamato he would return to free her and liberate Wano, and he intended to keep his word, even if it took him a little longer to achieve it.
Even so, just as Orion was preparing to set thoughts of Wano aside, a bell chimed in his mind, and new notifications appeared on the system screen.
*Ding*
*New Mission available*
*
Mission 20 – Silent Suffering
Description: Even the most powerful people bear their own burdens. No one is truly free to act when their surroundings and external conditions limit their movements. Even the strongest man cannot escape these natural laws.
Objective: Cure Whitebeard's illness, restoring him to his natural state of health.
Reward: SP, Random Special Ability, Character Improving Card (1)
*
Orion's eyes lit up when he saw the mission rewards, for not only was there a special ability to gain, but also a Character Improving Card, which would allow him to enhance any one of his subordinates.
These two rewards were truly tempting for him. The chance to strengthen his loved ones was always welcome, especially since the boost was often quite significant. Moreover, the special ability gained from this type of mission usually had some relation to the person mentioned in the mission statement.
In this case, that person was Whitebeard, and Orion could not help but fantasize about obtaining a power as overwhelming as that of the Gura Gura no Mi!
Even if the special ability he received was not as devastating as the original—like in the case of "Un fleur," which he had acquired thanks to Robin—it would still be an excellent outcome, adding yet another card to his vast arsenal of attacks.
Orion had to admit that the rewards he received for completing missions were almost always incredibly useful to him in one way or another. For example, the last mission he had completed, during the assault on Avalo Pizarro, had not only granted him 2500 SP but had also slightly raised the talent of all members of the Revolutionary Army, in addition to improving some of his own abilities.
It was true that the increase in the Revolutionary Army's talent after completing the mission had been minuscule, yet given the scale of the organization, that reward meant that thousands of people had seen their potential rise instantly. In perspective, with enough time for these people to grow, this reward was nothing short of incredible!
As for the abilities that had improved after completing that mission, they were "Strong Mind (Level 5)," "Haki Talent (Level 2)," and "Finger Pistol (Shigan) (Level 5)." These three had all risen by one level, which had been a source of great joy for Orion.
Even so, once again he could not help but feel it was a waste that such precious boosts so often fell on his physical techniques, as had been the case this time, since those were the skills easiest to level up.
On the other hand, the increase in his Haki talent had left him completely satisfied, since this ability influenced his mastery over all types of Haki. So, although it might not appear so at first glance, it actually helped him greatly on his path toward the pinnacle of power in this world.
Orion gave a slight shake of his head and set aside his thoughts of rewards and missions, focusing once more on Whitebeard, who, after giving his final answer, was now gazing at the horizon, waiting for the sunrise with a touch of melancholy.
Although Orion had used his Prism Eyes on all members of the pirate crew on this occasion, there had been one exception—Whitebeard himself. Orion had not been sure whether someone of the legendary pirate's caliber would notice the activation of his special ability and take it as an insult.
However, now that he had received this mission from the system, Orion was no longer thinking about so many things. In his mind there was only one thought: to see if he could diagnose the illness that, according to the system, was afflicting Whitebeard.
Taking into account the timing of this mission's appearance, right when they had been discussing Whitebeard's inability to assist in purging Kaido from Wano, it was easy to surmise that it was probably this mysterious illness that prevented the legendary pirate from immediately dealing with someone theoretically weaker, like Kaido.
An illness capable of restraining a pirate of Whitebeard's level was without a doubt no simple matter, and the fact that the system had issued a mission regarding it was proof enough of that.
For a brief moment, Orion thought of the mysterious illness that had afflicted his master Roger, though the thought was fleeting in his mind, and he immediately focused back on his current task.
Channeling his Observation Haki into his eyes, Orion activated his Prism Eyes and carefully observed Whitebeard, searching for any abnormalities that might indicate the presence of disease. However, no matter how hard he tried, he could not perceive a single trace of anything wrong with the pirate.
With Orion's current level of medical knowledge, it was simple for him to tell at a glance if someone was ill, and on this occasion, he had used his Prism Eyes on Whitebeard only because the pirate did not appear sick at all. Even so, the final result, after combining his special ability with his medical expertise, was a complete failure in identifying any irregularities.
"Are you done?" Whitebeard asked with a smile once Orion deactivated his Prism Eyes without having discovered anything.
Orion let out a bitter sigh and finally confirmed that his initial thoughts had been correct. Whitebeard could indeed notice when he used his Prism Eyes on him. After all, that ability was a mutation of Observation Haki.
Still, Orion did not let himself appear nervous at the pirate's question, since he had no ill intentions toward him. Not wanting to leave empty-handed, Orion looked directly at the legendary pirate and asked him outright.
"Sir Newgate… Are you ill?"
The atmosphere around them seemed to freeze instantly, and Whitebeard began emanating an oppressive aura.
"What do you mean, brat?" the pirate's voice was far more hostile than usual, and it was obvious Orion had touched a sore spot for him.
Even so, Orion could not back down. At least, not if he truly wanted to help Whitebeard with his illness.
"Sir Newgate, it may not seem like it, but I am a doctor. If you are sick, I would like to do something to help you!" Orion replied with unwavering seriousness.
Whitebeard observed him in silence for a few moments, and finally the oppressive aura dissipated. Then, with a disinterested wave of his hand, he said,
"Don't be stupid. There's nothing a brat like you can do. I've consulted the best doctor in the world, and even she has no solution. Forget these strange ideas, and don't even think about mentioning this matter anywhere."
Whitebeard's voice was serious, carrying a slight hint of threat at the end. Still, the pirate did not believe Orion was the type to leak his secret, but even if he did, it probably would not cause too much trouble for him.
Orion listened to Whitebeard's words and knew that the situation was a thorny one. Someone of Whitebeard's status could surely reach the best doctor in the world, so it was clear that his illness was not something that could currently be cured.
It seemed that completing this new mission would not be so simple, and it would be impossible to accomplish immediately. At present, his level in medicine was only slightly above that of an elite doctor, yet still far from the miracle-working physicians of this world, and of course far below the level of the best doctor Whitebeard had mentioned.
Even so, Orion had no intention of giving up. Now that he had established a relationship with Whitebeard, there would be no problem in returning to him in the future, once his abilities had grown enough to treat his illness.
Orion did not believe the system would assign him an impossible mission, though it might certainly assign him incredibly difficult ones. There would be a solution to Whitebeard's problem, and he simply needed to take his time to find it.
Aboard the Moby Dick, Orion and Whitebeard remained in complete silence, watching the sun rise on the horizon, its warm rays of light illuminating everything.
...
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